Forum:Territory application/West Uletha - possibly UL04 - Kalkara

Forums → Territory application → Territory application/West Uletha - possibly UL04 - Kalkara

Please fill in the information below to make a territory request.

	Territory ID and proposed name
	The Territory ID (from OpenGeofiction:Territories, e.g. AR123a) and proposed name of the country

N/A - West Uletha - Kalkara (In Maltese)

	Physical geography
	An overview of climate, topography and landscape of the country. It is advised to also create a sketch, you can add a link to this (hosted on imgur or similar)

CLIMATE

The climate of Kalkara is a Csa or a Csb climate as defined by the Köppen climate classification. The nation receives up to 500mm of precipitation per year, and is drier due to the eastern mountains of Mazan blocking westerly winds that would have otherwise changed the climate by some degree.

GEOLOGY

Due to the plate tectonics in the region as well as an orogenic belt, the islands were raised from the sea floor over millions of years. Composed of limestone which is where the nation gets its name, the islands of the Kalkaran Chain are rich in resources contributing to the economic development of the nation in the past and in the present, notably copper and coal.

TOPOGRAPHY

Quite mountainous, the nation is stretched from small islands near Mazan to the main island of Kalkara located near the nation of Almahrus. The highest mountain is located on the southern end of the main island and is roughly 480m tall. 65% of the total land is arable, with agriculture present. There are small streams, but no major rivers, fed from small springs and from the ocean.

See this graphic roughly delineating the land and sea borders of the nation. (The territory currently has no territory code as the land must first be raised from the ocean.): https://i.imgur.com/sIHUMdw.png

	Human geography
	A brief description of the territory demographics, economic development, land occupation, infrastructure and mapping style

DEMOGRAPHICS

The national population is mostly homogenous, with 93% identifying as Kalkaran, however this number may be mistaken due to the policies of the Kalkaran government. The remaining 7% identify as Mazanic, as well as people from nations like Ingerland, Navenna, Alnahrus, Castellán, and more. The total population is around 500,000 people across the nation. 95%-97% have fluency or proficiency in the Kalkaran language (which is Maltese).

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Kalkara is a mostly developed nation, with some areas more underdeveloped, such as the outer islands. The economy is heavily based on resource extraction, namely in lime and copper production. Fishing is also an important industry of the island, occurring more in the outer islands as well as a small portion of it in the southern reaches of the main island. A smaller agricultural industry exists, however it is used to provide for the people of the nation and not as an export. The nation is dependent on other neighbouring nations for resources such as steel. The nation's GDP is around $25-27 billion Universal Standard Dollars, and is classified as an advanced economy.

LAND OCCUPATION

The main island is mostly covered in urban area as well as meadows and pastures. To a minor extent, forests and wetlands are present, in addition to small patches of agricultural use area.

See this graphic depicting land usage on the main island: https://i.imgur.com/RlxpWGI.png

INFRASTRUCTURE

A mesh of highways, motorways, and ferries connect the country from island to island. The largest concentration of this network is located on Kalkara Island, where a network of roads connects the island together. The nation’s only railway is located here, running north to south inside the urban corridor. The nation’s only international airport is located on the main island, connecting the nation to the rest of the world by air as well as connecting it domestically, as two smaller domestic airports are located in the outer islands. Ferries are a large part of the transportation network in Kalkara, as ferries run regularly between each island in addition to ferries to Mazan and Castellán. The nation gets energy from solar and wind power, as well as smaller coal plants and a handful of thermal plants. Tourism and trade contribute to infrastructure development in the nation in addition to mineral extraction.

See this graphic showing the road network of the main island: https://i.imgur.com/HRdJhx1.png

MAPPING STYLE

The style that will be used is that of a Mediterranean one. Using inspiration from Malta itself as well as other, similar settlements in the region, Kalkara should in some form resemble one of these Mediterranean nations.

	History & culture
	A brief description of the intended culture and language

HISTORY

• 100 BC-400 AD: Kalkara is a part of the OGF:Roman Empire.
• 400-750 AD: A lack of governance occurs following the exit of the OGF:Roman Empire, followed by a period of relative instability.
• 750-800 AD: The islands are annexed by Mazan.
• 1200-1300 AD: Following a crusade to kick Mazan out of Castellán, Navenna takes control over the nation and incorporates it as the Navennese Domain of Kalkara.
• 1600 AD: During the Plevian-Navennese war, in which Navenna resisted Plevian annexation of the nation, Kalkara proclaimed independence with foreign backing.
• 1605 AD-Present: Kalkara remains an independent sultanate.

LANGUAGE

The sole official language of Kalkara is Kalkaran. Minority languages are unrecognised and hold no rights in the nation due to strict linguistic laws prohibiting extensive usage of these tongues

POLITICS

Kalkara is a highly nationalistic absolute monarchy (a sultanate) under the House of Serpina, installed after independence from Navenna in the early 1600s. The country is growing increasingly more autocratic, with the current ruler, Sultan Oskar Serpina, wielding more and more control over public services and day to day amenities of the people.

	Past mapping
	To support your request provide links to areas of OGF mapping which showcase your mapping skill. Mapping relevant to the requested theme & geography is especially useful
	The {{coord}} template can optionally be used to link to the OGF map - it results in a nice formatted link. Or you can paste in a URL.

PAST MAPPING

• Pŕens Elva, GTK: https://opengeofiction.net/#map=15/-46.5862/65.5484&layers=B
• Aveto Municipality, Qennes. An example of a more Mediterranean style of mapping.: https://opengeofiction.net/#map=17/39.62292/84.21223&layers=B
• Kurni, GTK: https://opengeofiction.net/#map=13/-46.3844/65.3083&layers=B

	Username & date
	Sign and date the application by typing four tildes like this: ~~~~

KAB (talk) 10:54, 26 November 2022 (UTC)

	Discussion
	Discussion for clarification & decision

• Hey, thank you for your request.

Regarding the location you propose, I would not place new islands west of Almahrus, as this would create a belt of islands around the strait between Mediterranean and ocean. Two-three small islands could maybe fit south of Almahrus, if not maybe in the south of UL02, as an extension of the archipelago of Aden and Arion (preferably with mainland), in/around UL02d or the unlabeled territory west of it.

Regarding the cultural influence, Maltese is a complex culture, parts of which already are being used by other users in territories in the area. As you know, there is the idea of turning UL02c into a collaborative Maltese strait territory, an idea which I am very much in support of. If your interest lies specifically in the Maltese culture, and you manage to gather a number of interested people for this collaborative project, with discussions on how to integrate it with the surrounding cultures, I'd love it if you could get it going. Else, for an island territory you would own yourself, I would prefer to see a neighboring language or a conlang being used.

Let me know what you think. Thanks --Stjur (talk) 14:43, 27 November 2022 (UTC)

Hi Stjur, thank you for your response. My main intention with Kalkara is to put the Maltese language and culture into place in the OGF world. I would love to have the opportunity to turn UL02c into a collaborative territory, that sounds like a good plan to increase cohesion in the region. A handful of OGF members have expressed interest in joining a collaborative territory and I believe we can get it off the ground as more join. What comes next from here?

KAB (talk) 07:59, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

You can start a forum thread about the Maltese collaborative project at Forum:Global and regional issues, where you can add your ideas, possibly territory sketches etc. Other users interested in collaborating or mapping in the area should reply with their own ideas. When a general agreement is reached, as well as a certain number of interested mappers, the territory can be opened. Thanks --Stjur (talk) 22:56, 28 November 2022 (UTC)